


Better Late than Never

by maddiebug



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alya Césaire Bashing, Alya Salt, Apologies, Character Development, Character Growth, Chloenette, Chloè redemption, Chloé Bourgeois Knows, Chloé Bourgeois Redemption, Everyone loves Marinette, Lila Rossi's Lies Are Exposed, Lila salt, Oneshot, Post Ladybug, Sad Marinette, Salt, Swearing, bi marinette, chloé deserved better than canon, kim mari and nino are bros, lesbian chloe, lila rossi is a punk ass bitch, sadinette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:33:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23924668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maddiebug/pseuds/maddiebug
Summary: Post Ladybug. Even after Lila's lies get exposed, no one apologizes to Marinette. It hurts that no one tries to make things right. Lila keeps bullying her, Adrien tries to ignore it all and no one else seems to notice at all.And then, unexpectedly, Chloé shows up at Marinette's door.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Chloé Bourgeois, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nino Lahiffe, Chloé Bourgeois & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Chloé Bourgeois/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Lê Chiến Kim & Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 210
Kudos: 1339





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Have I written any Chloé redemption fics yet? Surprisingly no. But this is one.

Marinette was exhausted. She had been expelled, through no fault of her own. It was all because of the liar who hated her for no reason, and framed her as a bully, causing her to be expelled for things she would never do.

Of course, that was all resolved when Lila decided to come forward about her lies, and Marinette was let back into school.

Honestly, Marinette didn't know what to think of it. Lila was suddenly acting sweet, as if she had never threatened Marinette, acting like they were best friends, which they never had been and never would be.

Lila was still playing some sick mind games and she was not going to fall for it. 

Marinette was not going to give Lila the pleasure of seeing her cry again.

Which is why she was sobbing into her pillow, in the comfort of her own home. Where no one could see her.

Marinette was... disappointed.

Not in herself. She had stood up for the truth and tried to defend herself. Marinette had done the right thing.

All of her "friends" stood by and watched.

Not one person (Alya, Nino, Adrien, Kim, Alix, to name a few of the people that Marinette thought would defend her when the time came) spoke up to defend her honor.

Marinette didn't expect everyone to say something. Rose, for example had always been non-confrontational. But it really stung that no one said a word. They just watched as she was expelled, without due process.

It was about the principle of the matter.

Chat Noir would've spoken up for her. 

Her and him against the world. Partners against crime. 

She really needed him right now. 

She needed someone she could talk- no- vent to. Tikki was amazing, but she wasn't human. She didn't understand. 

And Marinette's parents were nice, caring, people, but there were some things she couldn't share with them, like crimefighting, and her tendency to steal phones. 

Marinette needed a shoulder to cry on. She needed someone who had her back. She needed a friend.

And in her time of need, they all ignored her.

Leaving her to wallow in her own pity, crying her eyes out with no one to comfort her.

There was a knock on her bedroom door. 

Marinette groaned. "I need some space. I'm kind of in the middle of something, Mom."

The voice on the other side of the door chuckled. "I'm not your mom, so I'm going to come inside." 

"Chloé?" Marinette stared as the familiar blonde walked into her room. "What are you doing here?"

"Your mom told me to bring cookies."

"Yeah, but like, why are you here?" Marinette sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Aren't we like, enemies or something?"

"Or something." Chloé looked down. "Look, Marinette, I don't know how to say this-"

"If you're going to insult my fashion sense," Marinette sniffed, "now is not the time."

"What? I wasn't going to- Never mind." Chloé started to tap her fingers anxiously. "I'm sorry, okay?"

Marinette blinked. "You're sorry?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry that I didn't speak up when Lila was saying all those things about you-"

"We weren't friends. I didn't expect you to say anything."

"I thought someone else would, but they didn't. Marinette, I don't really like you, no offense-"

"-Its mutual-" Marinette rolled her eyes

"-but even I know you would never lie or cheat or push someone down the stairs. I should've said something."

"Thanks Chloé." Marinette gave her a small smile. "At least someone has some faith in me."

"I'm also sorry for everything else."

"Everything else?"

"I've recently become aware of the fact that I am such a bitch."

"Okay?"

"I want to be a better person, like Ladybug, or you."

"Me? Like Ladybug?" Marinette laughed. "I'm nothing like-"

"You're like the nicest person ever. I think I was jealous and it came off wrong and I want to start over."

"You want to start over?"

"Yeah."

"But Chloé we've been in the same class since we were five."

"I know." Chloé held out a hand. "Hi, I'm Chloé. I'm really mean sometimes, but I'm working on it. I don't have very many friends."

Marinette shook it slowly. "I'm Marinette. I take first impressions too seriously, and I have a reputation for getting really jealous. I hate liars and I don't have very many friends either."

"I also wanted to ask you why you chose me?"

"I chose you?" Marinette tilted her head.

"Yeah. I mean, I know the first time with Queen Bee was an accident, but you kept giving it back to me, why?"

"I'm not Ladybug. So I can't say why." Marinette shrugged. "But if I was, I would say that I saw a lot in you that you don't see in yourself. You can be kind, you care about others. I wanted you to be able to see the Chloé you could be."

"Just like Ladybug is the Marinette that you could be?"

"I'm not going to ask how you found out."

"Funny story actually-"

"Chloé you bullied me for years, I'm not sure if I can just be your friend."

"I understand." Chloé bit the inside of her cheek, trying not to cry. "I totally get it. Of course. I should go."

"At least, not yet."

"We aren't so different, Dupain-Cheng."

"Really?"

"For example, we both hate Lila."

"True."

"And we both have superpowers."

"Allegedy."

"We could beat up Lila Rossi."

Marinette sighed. "I wish, but I can't use Ladybug for personal gain."

"You're the guardian. Who said you had to use the Ladybug miraculous?"

...

When Marinette has asked the universe for someone to vent to, Chloé had not been what she was expecting. 

But maybe it was a blessing in disguise.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: *writes a oneshot* this is a fun concept, but i probably won't write any more soon.  
> Me 24 hours later: hahahah jk unless?
> 
> Also, when did this become Alya salt? Oop. I love her usually, but honestly this is fun to write.

Marinette took a deep breath. "As much as I want to beat up Lila Rossi with magical powers, I have to be the bigger person."

"But-" Chloe growled. "She's a terrible person. Sure, I said mean things for years because I was insecure about my sexuality-"

"What?"

"What?"

"Chloe, did you have a crush on me?"

"I'm going to neither confirm nor deny-"

Marinette blinked. "Chloe, you know I'm Bi, right?"

"No. I did not." Chloe smiled. "I'll keep that in mind. Anyways, I was a bitch, and deserve to at least be yelled at."

"Hey, at least you're apologizing."

"That doesn't make up for what I did." Chloe shook her head. "Like I was saying. I don't deserve your friendship, but what Rossi did was unforgivable."

"I agree completely."

"But you aren't even going to fight her? If I was you, I'd transform and punch her in the face right now."

Marinette laughed. "As tempting as that sounds, I have a reputation to uphold."

"You can't just let her get away with everything." 

"Ahh." Marinette smirked. "I never said that she was going to get away with everything."

"But you aren't going to fight her?"

"Not physically." Marinette winked. "I think we can do better than that."

"What do you mean?"

"As much as I want to slap her, it would be much better revenge to get her in a court of law."

"For what?" Chloe scoffed. "You can't exactly sue someone for bullying." 

"No, probably not." Marinette shrugged. "But you can for fraud, working with terrorists, assault and defamation."

"Has she really-"

"Lied about charities and collected the money for herself? Yes. I've done extensive research and none of her charities exist."

"But-"

"I have evidence that heavily implies that she is working with Hawkmoth. Not only has she been akumatized three times, she has on several occasions actively pushed people's emotions and even worked with an Akuma."

"I know she was bad, but-"

"She isn't just a liar. At this rate, she's a criminal."

"And from what Adrien tells me, not even a good model."

"You two are still on speaking terms?"

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "You aren't? He talks about how you two are very good friends all the time."

"No." Marinette shook her head. "He's been weirdly distant ever since I got expelled. He says hello in the halls, but he won't respond to my texts, and between Alya siding with Lila, and Adrien social distancing, my friend count is pretty low."

"You can add one to that count. I hope."

"Yeah I can."

"He really hasn't been talking to you?"

"No."

"That's strange. Even for him. He adores you. Do you think it has to do with Lila?"

"Probably. She works for his father and he's always uncomfortable around her."

"To be fair she always has her hands all over him. It would make anyone uncomfortable."

"True. If we can get Adrien to testify, we can add sexual harassment to the list of charges."

"If his father will let him testify."

"That's a pretty big if... but I have a feeling things aren't going to work out for Lila forever."

"What do you mean?"

Marinette crossed her arms. "She thinks she has everyone wrapped around her finger, but one of these days, the truth is going to come out, and I will laugh at her downfall."

"So that's it?" Chloe raised her eyebrows. "All these serious criminal charges and you're just going to wait?"

"Oh not at all. That's where you come in. I'm an unreliable witness on my own. But you have no reason to help me. If you saw Lila attack me and reported it-"

Chloe smiled. "They'd believe me."

"Exactly."

"Using yourself as bait. That's bold."

"It wouldn't be the first time I've done it."

"Hook. Line. And sinker." Chloe nodded. "I like the way you think, Dupain-Cheng."

"I have an app on my phone that records audio. I suggest that you download one as well. That's stronger evidence than eyewitness testimony."

"Has she ever sent threatening text messages? Emails?"

"No. It's always in person. She's too smart for that."

"School security cameras?"

"Not in the bathroom."

"Wow." Chloe sighed. "You've really done your research."

"I have."

...

Monday morning, when Marinette walked into class, Nino was sitting in her seat. He gave her nod, and she waved, but made no move to get out of the seat.

It was strange to think that they had been childhood friends, and now he was betraying her, like it was nothing.

His allegiance was to Alya, who was very firmly on Lila's side. Too bad for them.

If they got caught in the downfall, it was their own fault.

In the front row sat the liar herself, clinging to Adrien in a way that was obsessive. Her head rested on his shoulder and she was holding his hand.

It might've been cute, if she wasn't a terrible person, and he didn't look sick. 

As Marinette walked by, he made eye contact, and it was like a cry for help, but there was nothing she could do. 

As she sighed and started to make her way to the back of the classroom, Chloe cleared her throat. "Dupain-Cheng you should sit here."

"I couldn't-" Marinette looked up, noticing that Sabrina was sitting in the back. There was no other seat available. "Sure. Why not." 

All eyes were on her as she sat next to Chloe. Whispers about enemies and bullying were passed around the classroom, and Marinette ignored them all. 

"I know how hard sitting in the back has been on your bad eyesight," Sabrina spoke up. "As someone who needs glasses, I understand, and your eyes are worse than mine." 

Lila started laughing. "Marinette's eyes are fine. She's making up stuff because she wants to sit up front near Adrien."

"She's jealous." Alya shrugged.

The rest of the class started mumbling. Adrien stared at the ground.

Marinette started to respond, but she made eye contact with Nino. He shook his head. She opened her mouth, but he spoke first.

Nino made a face, and turned around to the rest of the classroom. "What are you guys talking about? Marinette was the first of us to get glasses, back in first grade." 

"Yeah." Alix, who was sitting in the back crossed her arms. "Remember, she got contacts when I first dyed my hair pink. It was like a really big deal."

Kim laughed. "And that's a stupid thing to lie about. Who would lie about having bad eyesight, or tinnitus when they could lie about, oh I don't know, being friends with Jagged Stone to make themselves look cooler."

Lila paled. "I don't know what you are implying about me, but-"

"I never said anything about you." Kim shrugged. "But, if the shoe fits...." 

Lila clenched her fists. "How dare you-"

Marinette's heart was pounding, as Lila glared daggers at her. "You're lying about your eyes, I know it."

Chloe squeezed Marinette's hand, and whispered, "You are not alone." 

Marinette took a breath and made eye contact with Lila. "If I was lying, then why do I have contacts in my eyes, right now." While holding Chloe's hand, for emotional support, Marinette reached the other hand up and with one finger, dragged a contact out of her eye. 

Lila leaned towards Marinette and whispered something only the two of them could hear. "You may have won the battle, but I will win the war. I will separate you from everyone in this class until you are alone, crying in your room because you have no friends."

Marinette rolled her eyes, and whispered back. "Bold of you to assume I don't already cry myself to sleep."

Lila placed a hand on her chest. "I'm so sorry for accusing you of lying. At my old school there was a girl who pretended to be disabled for attention-" that got a few sympathetic sighs from the audience, including Alya and Rose.

Chloe whispered, "yeah, you." In Marinette's ear.

Marinette disguised her laugh as a cough.

"- and so it just really hits home for me. Sorry if that came off as aggressive." 

Marinette didn't respond.

She didn't have to.

Because, even though they hadn't apologized, some of her classmates were taking her side. 

Most of them were skeptical about Lila's claims, at the least.

Marinette wasn't alone anymore.

...

Nino and Kim were the first to say anything. As soon as it was time for lunch, they approached Marinette and asked to eat lunch with her. 

She agreed, and invited Chloe.

They apologized for being bystanders during the whole incident where Marinette was expelled.

"I was just it shock the whole time." Nino shook his head. "I couldn't believe that anyone could believe those things about you. I'm sorry I didn't speak up." 

Kim shrugged sheepishly. "I thought it was some elaborate prank. It didn't seem real. And then you were crying and we all got akumatized, and there was nothing I could do. I'm sorry that I didn't defend your honor." 

Marinette smiled and gave them a croissant. "Thank you guys. I forgive you."

"And know that we are with you till the end of the line." Nino smiled. 

"I'll punch Lila for you." Kim offered. "She won't see it coming."

"Get in line." Chloe growled. "I'd slap her so hard she doesn't-"

"That's enough." Marinette cut off what was going to be a rather graphic speech from Chloe. "As much as I want to hit her, I have a better plan."

After she explained everything, with a powerpoint slideshow that Chloe had helped out together, Nino and Kim were nodding. 

"You can count me in."

"Me too. And I'll try to talk to Adrien." Nino replied. "I know he's been uncomfortable around her."

...

After lunch, the whole class was once again rearranged.

Nino was sitting next to Kim, and wouldn't even talk to Alya. Lila was still sitting next to Adrien, but Rose was next to Alya. 

In the row directly behind Marinette and Chloe sat Alix and Sabrina. 

Juleka and Nathaniel hadn't moved, but Mylene was next to Ivan, and Max moved himself to the back row.

It really was a class divided.

As Marinette sat in her seat, confident that Lila's reign of terror was almost over, she saw a little folded piece of paper sitting on her desk.

A note.

She unfolded it and read it slowly.

_Meet me in the library after school. Alone. We need to talk._

It wasn't signed, but Marinette knew who it was from. 

She was no handwriting expert, but she had spent hours analyzing a poem in this exact handwriting.

She was pretty sure she knew who it was from, but had no idea what they wanted to tell her. 

And she was definitely bringing Chloe or Nino to the meeting. 

It wasn't a talk she could handle alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't guessed, the note was from Adrien.
> 
> I will write at least one or two chapters more.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look it's too much of a pain to put the accent on the é every time I type chloé's name so I gave up on that.

When Marinette got to the library, he was already there.

Sitting in one of the group study rooms, looking around nervously. 

Like he thought he was being watched.

Marinette shook away that thought as she walked towards him. She could not be weak. She had to stand her ground, no matter what those beautiful green eyes tried to convince her to do. 

With Nino on one side, and Chloe on the other, Marinette sat face to face with Adrien. 

"So," she folded her arms. "You wanted to talk?"

"Yeah." He winced. "Alone. Is there anyway-"

"Nope." Chloe emphasized the 'p' with her mouth. "Whatever you can say to Mari, you can say to us."

"Dude. I promise I won't rat you out to Lila."

"Can we close the door? And the window shades?" 

"Sure." Marinette replied cooly.

Nino got up, and shut the door while Chloe closed the shades on the windows. 

After they both sat down, Adrien visibly relaxed.

"Ha-have-" he stuttered. "Have you ever done the wrong thing for the right reason?"

Marinette almost laughed. _Oh how the turntables..._

"Everyone has." Nino made eye contact with Adrien. 

"I became a superhero because I wanted people to like me." Chloe volunteered. 

Marinette tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

Adrien took a deep breath. "I mean, have you ever done something that you thought was right, and then it turned out to be terribly wrong and you're too deep in and there's no way to fix it."

Marinette nodded. "Once I mixed up sugar and salt while baking. By the time I realized what I had done, I was pulling a salty cake out of the oven."

"What happened to the cake?"

"It got thrown away, it wasn't good." Marinette shrugged. "Why?"

Adrien looked a little green. "No reason."

Chloe scoffed. "There had to be a reason to that."

"Adrien, you don't look so good." Marinette looked around the room. "There's a trashcan in the corner if-"

"Dude. You can talk to us. We're your friends, remember." Nino gave Chloe a glare. "We will listen to what you have to say."

Adrien sighed. "I think I'm the cake." 

He was met with three blank stares.

Marinette looked at Nino and mouthed "he's lost it."

Nino just closed his eyes and put his head on the table.

"Adrikins, you know you're a human, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah." Adrien shook his head. "I mean, in Marinette's story, with the salt. I'm the cake."

"Dude, what are you trying to say?" Nino looked lost, like he had been following directions from a two year old and had only just realized that he had driven into the ocean.

"I'm trying to say that..." Adrien lowered his voice. "I messed up. I'm sorry Marinette."

Marinette's face softened. "Adrien-"

"What was that?" Chloe shrugged. "I couldn't hear you."

Adrien growled. "I fucked up! There I said it. Whoop dee doo. Sorry, Marinette." He glared at Chloe. "Happy?"

"Perfect little Adrien is admitting his mistakes and swearing? Of course I'm happy." Chloe smirked. "Now admit that I was right."

"Nope."

"But you know I was right-"

Marinette looked between the two blondes. "I thought you guys were friends."

"Yeah what's up with that?" Nino winced. "I've gotten in arguments with Mari but nothing like that." 

"Its complicated." Adrien frowned.

Chloe smirked. "I told Adrien that he messed up weeks ago and he doesn't want to admit that I'm right? Isn't that right?"

"No!" Adrien looked down. "Well, mostly."

"I will never understand your relationship." Marinette shook her head.

"That's okay." Chloe winked. "Its different between you and me."

Marinette ignored the face that Nino was giving her and turned back to Adrien. "Thank you for the apology. Now what?"

"Well," Adrien scratched the back off his neck. "I'm usually not the one that comes up with plans. I was hoping that you had something."

"What do you want?"

Adrien closed his eyes and spoke from the soul. "For Ladybug to love me." 

Marinette froze. 

Chloe had to disguise her laughter as a sudden coughing fit. She fell to the floor in a dramatic way, eyes watering, barely breathing.

Nino rolled his eyes. "She means like, realistically, in the short term. What do you want us to help you with?"

"Honestly, I want to get Lila to back off. I thought if I ignored her, she would stop, but it's gotten worse."

"What's gotten worse?"

"She's really touchy." 

Nino pulled out his phone and started recording. "We're collecting evidence against her. This isn't legally binding, but do you swear to tell the truth?"

"Yes."

"I'm going to need you to be specific, so I'll repeat the question. How has Lila gotten worse?"

Adrien frowned. "She's really touchy. In class she always leans against me and she doesn't stop when I ask her to." 

"Is that all?"

"She also hugs without asking. And pets my hair. Its uncomfortable. And that's just at school."

"Does Lila touch you outside of school?"

"Well, only when we're modeling." Adrien shivered. "But that's part of the job, right? I don't want to kiss her, and let her put her hands all over me but I don't have a choice-"

"Adrien." Marinette looked at him. "You always have a choice."

"I can't disappoint my father."

"Yes, you can. If you feel uncomfortable like that, you have a right to say no."

Chloe, who had returned to her seat nodded. "Marinette is right. Consent is important."

"I don't know how to stand up to her." Adrien clenched his fists. "Every time I tell her to stop, she threatens one of my friends."

"Threatens with what?" Chloe's voice was like ice, but she wasn't mad at Adrien.

"Well, she threatened to get Marinette expelled, which I thought was a joke, until she did it."

"So," Nino continued, "she's been threatening your friends to manipulate you into doing what she wants?"

"Yes?" Adrien shrugged. "I don't know. I did what she wanted and she's laid off Marinette."

Marinette scoffed. "Barely."

"Look, guys, I want your help, but if I make her mad, she's going to ruin our lives."

"I'm not going to be scared of her any more."

Chloe shrugged. "She can't ruin me anymore than I've ruined myself."

"Adrien, you're my best bro. I'm not going to stand by while she threatens you and Marinette."

"But that's the thing. She isn't threatening Marinette anymore." Adrien's hands were shaking. "Now it's all about you."

"Me?" Nino looked confused. "Why-"

"Because, you've always been nice to Marinette. Lila wants everyone to ignore Marinette."

"That's why you won't talk to me." Marinette shook her head. "I had no idea it was this bad."

"And, if you break up with Alya, it's easier for Lila to control her."

"Yeah, but I won't-"

"Lila has Alya wrapped around her finger. Nino, when Lila finds out that I even talked to you guys, a storm is going to be unleashed. And it won't be pretty."

"How did you even get away from Lila to have this meeting?"

"Easy. I'm supposed to be in fencing right now." Adrien shrugged. "Lila isn't allowed in the boys locker room, so she has no idea that I have Wayhem my fencing uniform, and he's pretending to be me."

"What do you mean, it won't be pretty?" Chloe tilted her head. "Is she going to get the rest of us expelled?"

"No." Adrien looked down. "She's going to ruin our reputations."

"What reputation?" Nino crossed his arms. "I'm not afraid."

"She's going to send that picture of us hugging to the entire class."

"How does that ruin me, exactly?" Nino tilted his head. "Friends hug all the time."

"She also has some fake screenshots that look like I sent the picture to her to confess that you and me are in a gay relationship."

"But we aren't." Nino's eyes widened. "Alya would flip. And she believes everything Lila has been saying..."

"Exactly. She has detailed plans to ruin anyone that might go against her. She's been using these plans to keep me quiet."

"Like blackmail?" Nino asked.

"Not quite-"

"That's the textbook definition of blackmail." Marinette explained. "She's making you do things that you don't want to do by threatening you and the people you care about."

"I mean, I know its bad, but what can we do about it?"

"Get her expelled." 

"At the very least." Marinette whistled. "Between the fraud, blackmail and assault, she's looking at some serious jail time."

"You mean, if we tell someone, we can get rid of her? I don't want to make her angry?"

"Adrien, we will tell someone. And we will make her stop." Marinette stared him in the eyes. "This is no longer about revenge."

"Its not?"

"Its not?" Chloe and Nino echoed.

"No." Marinette smiled. "Its about justice. She's going to get what she deserves."

"Karma is a bitch and her name is Ladybug." Chloe nodded. "Just wait until Lila has to face the consequences if her actions."

Nino agreed. "If its okay with you, Adrien, I am personally going to sit next to you in every class, so that she can't."

"That's more than okay. Thank you."

"And me and Mari will sit behind you." Chloe growled. "I won't let that bitch touch you."

"You don't have to protect me-"

"Adrien. If it makes you uncomfortable, we can stop."

"No, I appreciate it, really. I just don't want to make Lila angry."

"Lila should be worried about us."

"Why?"

"Well, we have all this evidence against her."

"Right."

"We can take what we have to the principle. Tomorrow."

Chloe counted on her fingers. "But that's... tomorrow."

Nino wanted to say _No shit Sherlock,_ but it seemed like a bad time.

"Tomorrow?" Marinette looked pale.

"Why not? We have more than enough evidence to get rid of her for good." Nino frowned. "And I don't want to see you suffer any more, bro."

"Thank you. All of you. I was worried that you were going to laugh at me... or tell Lila about this."

"I'd never." Marinette swore.

"You guys sound really sure about this." Adrien fidgeted nervously.

Nino chuckled, "we have Chloe and Kim, both of which would not hesitate to slap Lila in the face, if given the chance."

"That's true." Chloe nodded. "I would."

"The point is," Marinette finished, "Lila has no idea what's coming for her. And when she realizes how much we have on her, it'll be too late."

...

After the meeting, Adrien walked out of the room relieved. He knew that if anyone could fix it, it was Marinette.

Chloe, Nino and Marinette walked out feeling sick. They had no idea how bad Adrien felt. If they had, they would've tried to stop Lila much sooner.

The idea that she was actively making Adrien uncomfortable, lying about being his girlfriend and touching him, was just disgusting. Also she was a liar, a thief and a con.

The point was, she was going down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not bashing Adrien here.
> 
> Originally this was a oneshot, but now I'm coming up with like a plot and ideas for at least five chapters but maybe more. Or I could end it with one more chapter.
> 
> Idk


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, Nino and Chloe met up with Marinette before school, to discuss strategy. Marinette went over all the evidence on her laptop and their major talking points.

Once they had decided what each person was going to say, they went to school. Early.

Adrien was waiting for them outside. "Hey guys! What's the plan?"

"Act like everything is normal at school today. After school, we are going to present everything to the principle." Marinette replied. "I have diary entries, voice recordings, and witness testimony."

"Great. I just want to get rid of-"

Chloe shushed him. "We are keeping this on the DL. We don't want Lila to see it coming." 

Nino nodded. "I'm going to sit next to you in class today. Even if Lila throws a fit, we Will stand our ground."

"Got it." Adrien smiled. "Thank you guys. Really-"

"Don't thank us yet."

"Wait until we take her down."

When they entered the classroom, Adrien sat next to Nino, behind Marinette and Chloe.

There were only a few people in the classroom, Nathaniel and Max sitting in the back, talking about programming and creating a digital comic, but it was fairly quiet. There was a faint buzzing from the lights, and Markov the robot that was flying around the classroom.

Lila entered the classroom as usual, and frowned when she saw Adrien.

She gave a sickly sweet smile and waved. "Adrikins! Don't you want to sit next to me?" 

Chloe growled. "Only I can call him that."

"Calm down." Marinette elbowed her.

Adrien looked pale. "I uh-"

Nino crossed his arms. "I asked Adrien to sit with me, I feel like we haven't talked in a while."

"But I want to sit with my boyfriend." Lila whined.

Chloe and Marinette started coughing mysteriously, as Adrien shook his head.

"And I want to sit with my best friend." Nino didn't budge. 

"Fine." She waved. "I love you Adrien!"

Adrien chose to stare out the window. 

"Don't you love me too?"

Adrien's heart started pounding. "I-" 

"Remember what we talked about?" Lila winked. "You wouldn't want your little secret to get out...."

"Shut up." Adrien snapped. "Shut up! Leave me alone. Stop threatening me and my friends."

Lila smirked. "You just made yourself an enemy, Agreste. You all did. And believe me, you don't want to see my bad side."

Chloe scoffed. "Yeah, like you had a good side."

"We aren't going to put up with your lies anymore." Marinette glared at Lila.

"You aren't going to hurt my friends any more." Nino finished.

It had already become more confrontational than any of them wanted. They were hoping to deal with Lila quietly, reporting her to the administration. 

They didn't need a classroom fight. 

Lila started sobbing. Large tears were streaming down her face. 

If it hadn't been completely unprovoked, it would've looked real. 

Alya, who walked into the classroom at the worst time, ran to comfort Lila. She gave her and big hug and helped her walk over to their seats. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys I meant to post that last chapter yesterday but apparently I forgot so you get two chapter today

After Lila was settled, Alya glared at the group that had once been her best friends. "I hope you guys are happy." 

Lila whispered something in her ear, and Alya gasped. 

"No!"

"It's true," Lila nodded. 

"There's no way.." Alya mumbled, shaking her head. "This isn't funny."

"I have proof." Lila smirked through her fake tears at Adrien as she pulled out her phone, to show Alya whatever she was talking about.

Alya started sobbing. "He cheated on me?"

"No!" Nino cried.

Lila smiled to herself, giving Alya a hug. "I'm so sorry, but I felt like you needed to know."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Nino started shaking his head. "Whatever she told you, it's not true."

"I would've supported you if you told me you were-" Alya lowered her voice. "-gay."

"But I'm-"

She sighed. "Clearly, we should break up." 

"I don't want to break up-"

"You don't?" Alya blinked. "But what about you and Ad-"

"Photos and words can be taken out of context. You know that."

"What part of 'i love him' can be taken out of context." 

Adrien held up a fist.

Nino bumped it. 

Adrien nodded. "Love you bro."

"Love you too." Nino raised his eyebrows. "Did that sound like a declaration of undying love or just friendship?"

"Well-"

"And, you know me. Do you really think I could cheat on you."

"No, but I haven't known you that long." 

Nino took a breath. "Babe, can we talk? Please. Just you and me?"

"We had the chance to talk earlier. I don't want to hear it."

"I just want to tell you the truth."

Alya's face was cold. "I already know the truth." 

She stormed out of the classroom and Nino ran after her. 

"Oh no!" Lila whined. "My best friend just left, and now I have no one to sit next to. Can I sit next to you Adrien?" 

Adrien, visibly uncomfortable, shook his head.

Lila laughed. "That wasn't a no." She stood up and started walking to sit down next to him.

Marinette stood up, and leaped over a desk, landing on the bench next to Adrien before Lila could get there. "It also wasn't a yes, bitch."

"Fine. If that's how you want it to be." Lila crossed her arms. "I will ruin you, slut."

"Go ahead and try."

"You won't be so brave when you don't have any friends behind you, bitch. This time I won't expel you. That was too nice. I'll follow you, and when you're all alone, i'll drag you into an alley and stab you."

Marinette and Adrien looked pale. 

"Stop."

"I will make sure that you regret ever-"

Chloe grabbed Lila by the wrist and yanked her back to her seat. "C'mon. I'll sit next to you."

"What if I don't want to sit next to you?"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Then it's mutual." 

"I will make you regret crossing me."

Chloe laughed. "You have no idea how much money my family has. If you even touch me, we will sue you so bad you'll never be able to recovery financially."

Lila shut up.

Nathaniel coughed and all four heads in the front turned to him and Max. They had forgotten that they were there, and Lila got a little too bold.

Lila waved at Nathaniel, but he didn't wave back, apparently too engrossed in his conversation with Max to notice anything that was happening in the front. 

Soon after, the rest of the class entered the classroom, and Chloe sat next to Lila (there were some strong negative energies coming from them) all day, while Marinette and Nino took turns sitting next to Adrien, depending on which class they were in at any given time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be longer than originally anticipated.


	6. Chapter 6

All of their morning classes ran relatively smoothly. Nino and Alya returned, sitting on opposite sides of the classroom. 

Chloe seemed to keep Lila at bay, there weren't any snide comments, and only a couple glares. 

The gang (minus Nino, who went to have a long conversation with Alya) ate lunch at Marinette's house, to discuss what they would say to the principle with Adrien. 

Adrien was very helpful and offered more information and details as to what Lila had done. 

All of the information, recordings, witness accounts, photos and videos, and spreadsheets of how much money Lila had collected from each member of the class (Part of Marinette's duty as Class President was collecting funds for parties, and keeping track of classroom expenses, so it was within her jurisdiction to keep track... and it was a lot.), was put into a folder on Marinette's Laptop, along with the presentation they had prepared.

Marinette even got a video of Ladybug confirming that Lila had lied, (they were not in fact best friends, she was never a part time hero, and anyone who claimed knowing Ladybug was putting themselves and their loved ones at risk of being targeted by Hawkmoth).

Adrien was very impressed by the video of Ladybug, but he was biased because he was in love with her. "How did you contact her? That's amazing. She's such a wonderful person."

Marinette smiled. "I can't tell you, Adrien. I wish I could but-"

Chloe elbowed Marinette and whispered in her ear. "I'm like 90% sure he's Chat Noir."

"Chloe!" Marinette jumped. "You can't just say things like that."

"What? Its the truth."

"What did Chloe say?"

"I said that I'm in love with Ladybug." Chloe winked. "I just want to take her out on a date and-"

Adrien nodded. "Aren't we all? She's the most amazing girl I've ever met. She's saved my life, and I-"

"Can we focus?" Marinette's face was red. 

"Like you can talk." Adrien raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Yeah, Adrien, what are you talking about?" Chloe smiled. "I'd really like to know."

"You know, Marinette has a big crush on Chat Noir? She invited him to dinner once-"

"Thats not relevant."

"I think it's very relevant." Chloe teased.

Marinette shook her head. "How did you even know about that? I don't remember telling you?" The only people that knew were Chat himself, and her parents.

"Oh-" Adrien stammered. "I- you were talking to your mom? And I was buying something in the bakery, near you." He nodded to himself. "Yeah, I just overheard it."

"Okay." Marinette relaxed. If he overheard the information, then he probably wasn't Chat Noir. "In case you were wondering, Chloe said that she thought you were actually Chat Noir."

Adrien had chosen the wrong moment to take a sip of water. He sprayed an unpleasant mist all over Chloe, soaking her face. "You said WHAT?!?"

Chloe chuckled. "It was a joke. I mean, it's not like you two are actually Ladybug and Chat Noir."

Marinette, who knew it wasn't a joke, just sighed. "We can discuss this later. After we deal with Lila."

Adrien raised a hand. "I'd like to discuss now?"

"The motion to discuss is denied, now as I was saying-"

Adrien cut her off. "Objection, this might be a very important discussion that changes our lives forever."

"Overruled." Marinette waved her hand. "Anyways, everything we need to get Lila is here. On my computer."

The evidence was perfected, edited, and ordered by how incriminating it was. Chloe, who had picked up some things from being best friends with the daughter of the chief of police, was very helpful citing specific laws and regulations that Lila had been in violation of.

When they got back to school, Chloe went in the classroom with Adrien while Marinette went to the bathroom.

It seemed like everything was going to plan, until Marinette walked in, crying, because Lila had broken her laptop, and Lila claimed it was an accident. 

Lila broke the laptop.

The one with all the evidence.

There was no way it was just a coincidence. 

But who would've told her about their plan?


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got like 25 comments on the last chapter which is crazy I didn't even realize that 25 people we're reading this, much less invested enough to leave a comment, but to answer the most frequently asked question,   
> Yes it was a very convenient plot device to have Lila mess up the computer. It was a good way for me to continue the story and have a couple other characters apologize to Marinette.   
>  She just spilled water on it, (so it looked like an accident) and they Will probably be able to recover the data from the hard drive. They still have marinette's diary but that's not super strong evidence. Also, Marinette tends to be dramatic, and so that's why she reacts the way she does.  
> Someone betrayed Marinette, and some of you guessed it but some of you didn't, it will be revealed soon enough.

The rest of the day was horrible for Marinette. All her evidence, all her hard work was ruined. 

It had been destroyed because she was careless. 

Marinette went to the bathroom by herself, bringing her backpack with her. She didn't realize anyone was in there, until she heard and evil laugh, and an "oops."

Marinette, who was in the stall froze. Lila knew. Somehow she knew about everything. 

And she ruined it. Without the evidence, Marinette had no case. And now Lila would try to get her expelled, or worse, turn the entire class against her. 

When she inspected the damage after washing her hands, it wasn't too bad. Her laptop wouldn't turn on, and her homework was unreadable, but at least her phone had been in her pocket. Her lunch hadn't been ruined. 

And honestly, she could probably get Max to fix the laptop. It wasn't like Lila had set it on fire.

Still, it was a major setback, and Marinette was crying at the injustice as she walked back to class. 

Lila conveniently claimed it was an accident, that she had knocked over her water bottle, that she didn't even realize Marinette's backpack was there, but Marinette knew better.

Most of the class looked skeptical, which was a relief.

And Max volunteered to try to fix her laptop. It was nice of him, if a little but out if character especially considering that he had been on Lila's side since she threw that napkin.

But it still sucked.

After the last bell of the day, Marinette looked at Chloe. "I'm tired."

"Its been a long day. But we're so close."

"We aren't. Everything is ruined. I don't think we can recover."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I'm done. Its over."

"What?"

"I don't understand how she knew. Someone told her. Someone betrayed me. I'm done."

"You can't be done. We are so close to winning."

Marinette shook her head. "I'm going home Chloe. My laptop is broken. We lost the files."

"I'm sure it can be fixed. We can just-"

"I'm going home." Marinette repeated and walked out the door.

That was... a plot twist. But fine. 

If Dupain-Cheng wasn't going to ruin Lila, then Chloe would. She would pull together every bit of evidence and take down the liar. 

For Marinette and Adrien, and the rest of the class.

That bitch was going down. 

Chloe, Nino and Adrien met in the library to discuss everything they had. 

Nino had the voice recordings of Adrien, Adrien had screenshots of threatening messages and Chloe had... nothing.

Well, not nothing, exactly. Chloe remembered most of what Marinette had put together. She knew that the charities weren't real, that Lila lied about being Ladybug's best friend and that she wasn't even Italian.

She had no proof, other than being an eyewitness to some threats, but that wasn't going to stop her.

It wasn't the strongest case ever, but they had enough to prove that Lila was a bully and a liar. 

It might not get her expelled, but it could get her suspended. Maybe that would give Lila some time to think about her actions.

Chloe was ready to march over to Damocles's office and tell him everything, when Max came into the study room.

"What are you doing here? This is a private meeting." She crossed her arms. "Its very important and none of your business."

"Well, you guys are loud."

"Loud?"

"Yeah. Everyone in the library can hear you. I was told to ask you guys to lower your volume."

She shared a look with Nino and Adrien. So that's how Lila had known their plan. 

"Oh. Sorry we can be quieter."

"Appreciate it. Some of us are trying to do actual work."

"Sorry."

"Anyways, I was 

"No. Not yet." He shook his head. "The hard drive wasn't damaged, so the data can be recovered, but the screen got water behind it, so it's messed up. Currently 

"I don't have the laptop, but I think I have something that you want to see."

All three heads turned to him. 

"Like, evidence?" Adrien asked.

"Yes."

"Show us." Chloe crossed her arms.

"I need to sit down. This is hard to explain." 

Max sat down at their table and pulled his laptop out. "You know how Markov records our classes?"

Chloe frowned. "That has to be some sort of violation of-"

"You guys all signed things at the beginning of the year. Its super helpful for when you miss notes or are sick. I've been posting the videos on youtube." He looked at the blank faces. "Did none of you know about this?"

"Nope."

"Yeah, no."

"I had no idea."

"Okay, well there's a lot of data collected from that, and I heard Marinette say that all of Lila's charities were fake, so I decided to look into it." 

"Max you're a genius."

"I know. Anyways." He clicked on a video. "Here is Lila collecting funds for the 'West Europe Wildlife Conservation Fund.'" He typed the name into Google. "And here, zero results. I thought it was weird that she only collected cash, but some charities are like that. I looked more into it last night and every charity that Lila collects for is a scam. I convinced Rose to call Prince Ali and he had never heard of Lila, much less worked with her."

Nino, Chloe and Adrien stared in awe. 

"What I'm saying is that Marinette was right. Lila is a liar."

"This is exactly what we need to take her down."

"There's more." Max clicked on another video. "This morning, Markov took a very interesting video." 

Play. 

"-I'll make sure you regret this.-"

Pause.

"Lila threatened Marinette. To her face."

"And we have the evidence."

"I can't believe I ever believed that liar." Max shook his head.

"We all did. She had us fooled."

All four heads turned to the door.

Chloe stared.

Nino's jaw dropped. "Alya, what are you doing here?"

"You were right. Lila is a bad person."

Chloe gasped. "Nino, what did you tell her?"

Nino was conveniently avoiding eye contact.

"Nino?" 

Nino looked down. "Look, I just wanted Alya to know the truth. I'd never cheat on her. Marinette would never push someone down the stairs. I told her what I had to."

"Probably too much." Alya admitted. "And I told Lila."

"How could you?"

"I just wanted to protect my friend."

Max nodded. "You did the wrong thing for the right reason."

"Lila claimed that Marinette had been bullying her, but it was all the other way around."

"Yeah, anyone with eyes could see that-"

"Shut up Chloe she's trying to apologize."

"She should apologize to Marinette, not me."

"-I hurt my best friend trying to protect another." Alya finished shakily.

"She's not your best friend anymore." Chloe said coldly.

"I know." Alya looked close to tears. "I messed up. But I'm here to make things right."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: you know what? Alya can have a little bit of redemption, as a treat.f


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter eight is finally here.
> 
> I know, I can't believe it either.
> 
> This is a long one boiis, I probably should have split it in two,( imagine there's a chapter break when they enter Damocles' office), but here we are.
> 
> I think you'll like this, and hopefully it should answer most of your questions.

With Max's help, the team quickly threw all the evidence together. Chloe had Marinette's speech basically memorized and she lead them all to the principles office to speak.

Alya, who was mostly quiet and just seemed frustrated with herself, ended up having the best proof of all. She had a video from the bathroom stall that clearly showed Lila dumping water directly in Marinette's bag and calling Marinette names. 

It was proof of bullying. 

Indisputable evidence.

Together, Chloe, Adrien, Nino, Max, Alya, Luka, (he just kinda appeared and followed behind while strumming guitar randomly and telling people he was checking their vibes), Kim & Alix, (who had some sort of bet going on), and Kagami, (they passed by her in the hallway, and as soon as Adrien mentioned Marinette was in trouble, she was on board) marched towards Damocles' office.

A whole protection squad of sorts.

The defenders of Marinette Dupain-Cheng. And the truth. And justice. They weren't actual superheroes, like Ladybug, (other than Chloe, who was a part time hero, and probably Adrien, but that's another thing to unpack) but they were close enough. Even heroes need backup sometimes. 

Having a mask wasn't a necessary part of being a hero.

And- maybe Chloe just wanted to feel like a superhero again, but she was going to do good.

This time, for the right reasons. For friendship, justice, and love and only maybe a tiny bit of vengeance. 

Lila had hurt Marinette, and Chloe wasn't going to let anyone hurt Marinette again. 

(Hawkmoth was next on her hit list, but that's a different story)

When they got to the front office, they were told by the Secretary that the Principle was already in a very important meeting.

They explained their cause, (reporting a bully), and the Secretary didn't seem that surprised. 

When they mentioned Marinette and Lila, she nodded. "Of course, she said some of her friends would testify for her. I just hope you can help that poor girl."

The group shared a look.

"Didn't Marinette go home?"

"Yeah." Chloe nodded. "She left after eighth period. She didn't want to do this alone."

Kim elbowed Alix. "I bet you that she didn't."

She smirked. "Well, I bet you that she did."

"Statistically speaking, Marinette is one of two likely characters to be in that room?"

"Who's the other?"

Before Max could respond, likely with some graph and data, the food to the principal's office was opened. 

A familiar pig-tailed girl sat in the chair, and turned around to give a soft smile to Alya. She wiped away the tears in her eyes and tried to look strong.

"Oh my gosh, thank you guys so much for coming to help me. I just hope we can get rid of all the bullies and be friends."

The group was stunned. None of them had actually expected to see her talking to the principal, especially on her own.

It was such a risky move.

And if it hadn't been for them, it probably would've worked. 

"Wow. She seemed like such a nice girl. But I guess she had me fooled.."

"She had us all fooled, until she cornered me in the bathroom and threatened to take away my friends."

"And it was completely unprovoked?"

"Completely. I was nice to her. We weren't best friends, but I never did anything to hurt her."

"Do you know why she would do something like this?"

"Well, I didn't. But Alya told me that it probably head something to do with Adrien."

Adrien turned to Nino, who shrugged.

"Adrien, Agreste?"

"Yeah. She has a huge, obsessive crush over him. Everyone knows it-"

"I didn't know." Adrien mumbled.

"-she was jealous of how close I was with Adrien. We are very good friends after all."

"I'm sorry that we didn't address this problem sooner."

"Well, I tried to. We tried to get her expelled."

"I remember. But you said you then repealed everything that you said. Right?"

"She made me say that. She threatened to hurt my family."

"This is more serious than I thought."

"Please. Do whatever you can to get rid of her. I just don't want to be hurt any more."

Mr. Damocles shook his head. "I just can't believe that Marinette would hurt anyone. She's always been such a sweet girl."

Lila turned back to Mr. Damocles, her sausage-like pigtails swinging after her. "Like I said, all of my friends would love to tell you more. Wouldn't they?"

Adrien had to physically hold Chloe back as she growled. "Oh, you have no idea what we would like to say, bitc-" 

Nino covered Chloe's mouth with his hand. "Like Chloe was saying, we have some information that you might find interesting. Max?"

Max stepped forward with his laptop. "If you look in these folders, you'll find evidence that proves that the bully is actually-"

"A choo!" Lila sneezed so hard that she punched Max's computer screen. "Excuse me. I'm so sorry! I never meant to-"

"Sure, Lila." Max sighed. "The information was also saved to this USB. In case anything happened."

"Oh, no it's fine. Mr. Damocles has already heard what I have to say. He doesn't need anything else."

"Actually, I'd like to see that." He took the USB from Max, plugging it into his computer. "Why is there a folder entitled "Pac-Man?"

"That's a personal project. Its the second folder-"

"Ah, yes." Damocles clicked on it, looking through the first set of documents. "Wow. This is certainly shocking."

"The lengths they would go to, for a friend? Certainly." Lila nodded. "They're all conspiring against me. They're bullies too!"

Kagami tilted her head. "I just kinda got dragged in here. I don't even know who you are, or what is happening-"

"Oh right-" Adrien whispered something to Alya who showed Kagami the video. 

Kagami scowled. "It is Lila who is the bully. And a coward." 

"I don't even know you-"

"You have no honor. Marinette is an amazing person, and-"

"Ugh." Lila flipped her hair. "It's not my fault everyone of you is in love with her or something."

Chloe, Adrien, Alya, Nino and Kagami all turned red and started stammering excuses.

"I'm not in love with her, but I have known Mari for a very long time." Kim crossed his arms. "She's the kind of person who would help anyone. She's not a bully."

"She helped me with my video game."

"She helped me with my crush."

"She helped me make new friends."

Lila waved. "Yeah, yeah, we get it. She's helped a lot of people. She's fooled all of you too."

"Its over Lila. You've lost, give up."

"Marinette is a bad person. I just want to make this school safer."

Chloe raised her arm, like she was going to slap Lila. "All you do is spread lies."

"Sure, hit me. Prove that you are all bullies."

"I have to be the bigger person." Chloe put her arm down. "Marinette taught me to be better. A better friend, a better classmate, a better person. If you think that you can convince anyone that she is a bulky, you are sorely mistaken. I will defend her if it's the last thing I do."

Mr. Damocles cleared his throat. "As sweet as that declaration of friendship was, I'm going to need you all to step outside for a moment."

"Why?"

"I've called Marinette in to my office. I'd like to hear her side of the story."

"But you already heard my side-"

"Exactly. And last time I only heard your side. I think, especially when we consider your lying disorder, I have to be able to look at this case from all sides."

"But I'm telling the truth."

"Are you sure?"

Lila stomped out without another word.

The team all walked out, and Marinette walked in. 

Alone.

"She's going to fail."

"Shut up Lila." Nino and Adrien held Chloe back, once again.

"I can't believe I was ever friends with you." Alya 

Lila smirked. "Believe me, she won't be able to get out of this one. I have the principal wrapped around my finger just wait and see-"

They didn't have to wait very long. 

After about five minutes, Mr. Damocles opened the door to his office. 

Marinette walked out, looking pale, but threw her arms around Chloe. "Thank you." 

The blonde patted her head. "How'd it go?"

"We did it."

Chloe shook her head. "You did it."

"No, Chloe _you_ did it. I panicked because all of my evidence was destroyed. You managed to bring justice even without it."

Chloe blushed. "I had some help. I got a whole team together."

"Don't be humble. I know it was mostly you." Marinette smiled. "Do you want to get some ice cream with me?"

"Yeah, of course, but what about-" Chloe made a not so subtle gesture at Adrien, who awkwardly waved.

"Fighting over boys was what got me in this mess in the first place. Besides, he's in love with someone else."

"Yeah, Ladybug."

Marinette froze. "Haha, well, it wouldn't work out anyways. I'm so awkward. And me and him are really more like best friends. Besides, I'm pretty sure that he doesn't want to date anyone at the moment."

Adrien breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah. I'd kinda just like to be friends."

"Of course. We are all friends here."

"But-"

"I think we have a chance, Chloe. We used to be best friends after all."

"Yeah, and then you had to go and get pretty."

Marinette blushed. "You got pretty too."

Lila scolded, as the rest of their friends cheered.

"Finally!" Nino threw a fist in the air.

Kagami nodded."The tension between you two was unbearable. Neither of you was making a move. I thought I'd have to."

"I thought we'd have to lock you in a closet to get you to confess your feelings." Everyone stared at Alya. "What?"

Their first kiss was short and sweet, because they had a crowd watching.

The next one, not so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy ending, right?
> 
> I might add an epilogue, but this is done for now. Its pretty much complete.
> 
> I debated ending with Chloe/Marinette or not. Originally I wanted to write a redemption fic without it, where Chloe just became a better person, but I kinda like it.
> 
> Also, thank you so much for all the wonderful comments And kudos. (Haha except you, Lila roleplayer you're a bitch and you know why I deleted those comments stop reposting them). You guys have been so supportive of this fic.  
> Even if I don't respond to every comment, I read them all, and it really means a lot. Thank you guys.

**Author's Note:**

> I am 99% positive that Marinette gives off Chaotic Good vibes and Chloe would encourage that. I also think that she could grow so much as a character if she had more personality traits than hating on Mari and loving Adrien/Ladybug.
> 
> Idk if you can tell but I'm sad and miss my friends  
> I'm not sure how good of a redemption fic this was, but its a start. The first step to fixing a problem is admitting your mistakes.
> 
> Let me know what you think!
> 
> Update:
> 
> 15,000 hits and 1000 kudos that's wack. I can't believe that that many people actually read something that I wrote, its literally crazy to me. 
> 
> If you liked this, maybe check out some of my other stuff? I have a lot of ml fics. 
> 
> If you're looking for almost a mystery, with some plot twists read "... And Then Marinette." (Sidenote: this is literally my favorite thing I have written in like three years of writing fanfic).  
> If you want a fun Au that's from Alya's pov, check out "Numbers."  
> If you want to read something funny, read any thing from the hydrate or diedrate series.
> 
> ....
> 
> Hey, do you read/write/art for this fandom? Check out the [ miraculous fanworks ](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) discord server.


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